During the last several years, the problems inherent in having food, beverage and non-prescription drug items removed from store shelves for the purpose of introducing poisons into the item, with the item being replaced on the store shelf for purchase by an unsuspecting customer, has received wide-spread media attention, as well as industry-wide recognition as a continuing problem. In an attempt to combat this problem, manufacturers of various food, beverage and non-prescription drug items have developed and employed tamper resistant packages for their products.
Unfortunately, in spite of these attempts, no tamper resistant package has yet proven impenetrable and, in fact, have been defeated by product tamperers, who have continued to plague consumers, distributors and manufacturers by introducing deleterious or life-threatening chemicals into food, beverage and non-prescription drug items which are then purchased by unsuspecting consumers.
Investigations have discovered that the product tampering has not occurred during the production, packaging, or delivery of the products to the retail consumer outlet. Instead, virtually all product tampering has occurred by a tamperer removing a product from the store shelf, bringing the product to his home or laboratory where the life-threatening chemical is substituted or added to the product, resealing the product to appear as though the product had never been opened, and returning the resealed, tainted product to the store shelf, where an unsuspecting consumer purchases this tainted product.
In spite of the industry-wide attempts to attain a packaging system which is completely tamper-resistant or which allows a consumer to immediately recognize a product or package which has been tampered with, no system has been developed which satisfies the needs of consumers, retailers and manufacturers or even properly addresses the wide potential problem which continues to exist. Although non-prescription drugs were the initial focal point of product tampering, many food and beverage products have also been tampered and along with non-prescription drugs remain as easy targets for tampering. In particular, food items packed in jars, canisters, tubes, bottles and other forms remain an easy target since the food items do not possess any, or sufficient, tamper resistant or tamper indicating packaging.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a tamper resistant packaging system which is capable of providing consumers and retailers with an immediate indication of whether the product being purchased has been previously removed from its displayed position.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a tamper resistant packaging system having the characteristic features described above which can be employed for all types of packaging, regardless of their size, shape or container type.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a tamper resistant packaging system having the characteristic features described above which can be easily employed by the manufacturer without incurring any changes to their current or anticipated product or packaging.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a tamper resistant packaging system having the characteristic features described above which can be easily employed by the manufacturer without incurring a substantial expense, while providing a cost savings by eliminating current primary and/or secondary packaging.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a tamper resistant packaging system having the characteristic features described above which is capable of being employed by the retail distributor with ease and convenience.
Other and more specific objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.